Unbelieveable Birthday

Well, I think that 31 is a birthday that I won't forget!!

The weather forcast called for off and on Snow Showers - they were very wrong!!!!! Joseph and I went to my Dr's appt, and as we went in - it was just starting to lightly snow - that was at 2:15. When we left an hour later - the roads were an unbelievable mess!!! We drove back to my office, where we had left the truck, and we both tried to drive home. As we approached the mountian road up to the house, we decided to leave the truck at the bottom. We both went up in the matrix. We got about 2/3 of the way there, and decided to put on the chains. About then the Draper police officer patrolling the road came by, and said we should probably turn around. Since it was nearly 5pm by then, we told him that our son should be getting home and would be alone, so we left Joseph with the car - so he could go back down the mountain, and the officer took me the rest of the way up. I got to the top at 5:15, only to find out that the school busses were trapped on the south side of the mountain. So I figured i'd be alone for a while without the car. But Joseph - after getting the chains on - decided that it would be safer and easier to go the rest of the way up, instead of all the way down. He got there at about 5:45.

I then got in contact with the school, and learned that they had been able to back the busses down the mountain, and the kids were at the school - and as soon as the parents were able, we needed to come and get them. So we loaded our snow gear (0 degree bags - tent - clothes and water) into the car and headed down the mountain the other way to get to stuart.

It was a total white out!!!! for quite a while, I was outside the car, with the flash light - leading Joseph, becuase I could see where the road was out side, but you couldn't from the inside of the car. When we got to the intersection where you turn to the school, cars were everywhere!!!! nobody seemed to know what to do, so I was out directing traffic in the blizzard - just me and my flash light. Joseph went on to the school, and after the traffic cleared out, I hiked the rest of teh way to the school, about 3/4 of a mile. That alone wore me out. When we got to the school - the asked if we had somewhere we could go - since by this time, the roads back up were closed again. We said we could go to my brothers, so they sent us back out- assuming that it would be clearing up - and not knowing the traffic situation. Unfortunatley, due to MANY road closures and Freeway on ramp closures, we were sent down to the Costco in American Fork, and then sent up thru LEHI along the frontage road to head North. We didn't even make it up to thanksgiving point until 11:30. We didn't take dinner with us, becuase we werew planning on eating at Matt and Crenda's, so Stuart's dinner was the last corn dog they had for sale at the Maverik gas station at point of the mountain.

We decided to put the chains back on and try the frontage road along the west side of the highway. the snow was really deep, and the wind was blowing, but we made it over to Highland dr. they had been plowing, so the road up the mountain to the house was ok - with the chains we made it home after about another hour or so of driving. Joseph and I have had very little sleep, I think we'll crash when we get home - so much for trying to cook a romantic dinner!!!

the most intersting aspect was when Joseph and Stuart sung Happy Birthday to me, and we all ate a little bit of the left over cake from my co-workers!

Like I said - I don't think I'll forget this birthday any time soon!!!!!